The Future of Aging in the Town of Brewster: Brewster Council on Aging Needs Assessment Study

This report describes efforts undertaken by the Town of Brewster Council on Aging, in partnership with the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Brewster’s older population. The focus of this report is on two cohorts of Brewster’s residents — those aged 45 to 59, and the cohort of individuals who are currently aged 60 and over (“seniors”). The content of this report is intended to inform the Town of Brewster, the Brewster Council on Aging, and organizations that provide services to older residents, as well as those who advocate for older people, and community members at large

Aging in Barnstable: Striving for High Livability in a Cape Cod Community

This report describes collaborative efforts undertaken by the Town of Barnstable Senior Services Division and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging, within the Gerontology Institute at the McCormack Graduate School, University of Massachusetts Boston. Beginning in Fall 2014, these organizations partnered to conduct a study to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of the Town’s older resident population, with respect to living and aging in Barnstable. The focus of this report was on two cohorts of Barnstable residents — those aged 50 to 59 (referred to as “Boomers”), and the cohort of individuals who are currently aged 60 and over (“Seniors”)

Needs Assessment for Littleton Elder and Human Services and the Council on Aging

This report describes efforts undertaken by the Town of Littleton Council on Aging, in partnership with the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Littleton’s older population. The focus of this report was on two cohorts of Littleton residents—those aged 50 to 59 (referred to as “Boomers”), and the cohort of individuals who are currently aged 60 and over (“Seniors”). The content of this report is intended to inform the Town of Littleton, the Littleton Council on Aging and Senior Center, and organizations that provide services to older residents, as well as those who advocate for older people, and community members at large

Age-Friendly Yarmouth Needs Assessment Report

Communities throughout the nation are pursuing new strategies to promote health and quality of life among their residents. In 2014, the Town of Yarmouth joined the Age-Friendly Network through the World Health Organization and embarked on a five-year process to evaluate the community’s age-friendly features, plan for improvements, and implement change. The primary purpose of this report is to describe findings developed as part of the initial needs assessment phase of Yarmouth’s age-friendly initiative

Assessing Current and Future Needs of Residents Aging in the Town of Andover

This report describes the collaborative efforts undertaken by the Town of Andover Division of Elder Services and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging, within the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Beginning in Fall 2014, these organizations joined to conduct a needs assessment to investigate the needs, interests, preferences and opinions of the Town’s older resident population, with respect to aging in Andover. The focus of this report is on two cohorts of Andover residents—those who are age 50 to 59 (referred to as “Boomers”) and the cohort of individuals who are currently age 60 and older (“Seniors”). Within the older cohort of Seniors, we also conducted selected analyses on subgroups (e.g., ages 60 to 79; 60 to 69; 70 to 79; and 80 and older) to highlight important differences by age group. During this assessment, several research methods were utilized in order to sketch a multidimensional image of the Town’s older residents that could be used to plan and implement current and future services for older residents in Andover. We began the process by examining public data from the U.S. Census Bureau to describe basic demographic characteristics, as well as economic characteristics, disability status, and living situations of older people in the Town. Early in the project we invited Town residents to attend a community forum, to better understand how residents perceive current and future aging-related needs of the Town. We used information gathered at this meeting to develop a survey instrument to be administered to a randomly selected sample of residents from both age cohorts. We conducted two focus groups to obtain feedback from various stakeholders who regularly interact with older residents, regarding issues and concerns about aging in Andover. We conducted interviews with four key stakeholders to acquire input from local experts on the implications of the aging population, and the functioning of the Center at Punchard. We produced three maps depicting town resources that are perceived as assets to aging in place in Andover by older adult residents. Finally, we conducted a comparison of Senior Centers in three towns that are similar to Andover to assess how needs of older adults are met in other nearby communities. Collectively, the content of this report is intended to inform the Andover Division of Elder Services and the Center at Punchard, along with other offices within the Town with a stake in the aging of Andover, and organizations that provide services to older residents, as well as those who advocate for older people, and community members at large

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The Impacts of Life Events on Depression in Later Life among Older Among Immigrants

Previous research demonstrated that life experiences and social support are predictors of later life mental health status. Although previous studies have established mental health as a major public health concern among Southeast Asians in the US, we lack information about ways in which their life events may contribute to their mental health status, especially in later life. This study focused specifically on older Hmong immigrants’ life experiences from three life phases: pre-migration, transition, and post-migration. The study was theoretically informed by the Stress Process Model, which identifies early life experiences and stresses as contributing to late-life health outcomes. Special focus was directed toward ways in which the migration process disrupted family and clan networks, which in this population were central to identity and well-being. The initial phase of research examined these life experiences and the extent to which they have impacted reported experiences with depression. A second phase of the research included validation of a mental health instrument among older Hmong immigrants. For this project, both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The qualitative method allowed for an in-depth understanding of events that occurred throughout the participants’ life course and how these events impacted depression in later life. Grounded Theory served as the framework to analyze the data. The qualitative component was carried out in California. To validate the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 items inventory, quantitative data was collected in California and Minnesota. The overall findings for this study suggested that older Hmong adults living in the US experienced stressors and depression throughout the lifespan (i.e., pre-migration, transition, and post-migration). The desire for social connection and support to help ease the experiences of war, diaspora, and post-migration adjustment was a common thread for this population. The findings from this project provided information that was much needed to fully understand their life course and current adjustment in later life with respect to mental health

Needs Assessment for Littleton Elder and Human Services and the Council on Aging

This report describes efforts undertaken by the Town of Littleton Council on Aging, in partnership with the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Littleton’s older population. The focus of this report was on two cohorts of Littleton residents—those aged 50 to 59 (referred to as “Boomers”), and the cohort of individuals who are currently aged 60 and over (“Seniors”). The content of this report is intended to inform the Town of Littleton, the Littleton Council on Aging and Senior Center, and organizations that provide services to older residents, as well as those who advocate for older people, and community members at large